Ricotta Pie Pizza Dolce With Chocolate And Raspberry Food

RICOTTA PIE (PIZZA DOLCE) WITH CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large bowl; cut in the butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and water; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other. Wrap smaller portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate., Divide the remaining dough into six portions. Roll out each portion to fit a 5-in. pie plate; transfer pastry to pie plates. Set aside., Press raspberries through a sieve; discard seeds. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in raspberry puree. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Spread over the bottom of each crust. Sprinkle with chocolate chips., In a large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese, flour and vanilla until blended. In a small bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture becomes thick and lemon-colored. Fold into ricotta mixture. Spread into pastry shells., Roll out remaining pastry; make lattice crusts. Trim, seal and flute edges. Whisk egg white; brush over lattice tops. Sprinkle with coarse sugar., Transfer pies to a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until serving.

RICOTTA PIE (OLD ITALIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Beat the 12 eggs, 2 cups sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips, if using (see Cook's Note). Set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar together. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 4 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two deep-dish pie plates.
• Roll out 2 of the balls to fit into the pie pans. Do not make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Do not flute the edges of the dough. Roll out the other 2 balls of dough and cut each into 8 narrow strips for the top of the crust. (Alternately, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.)
• Pour the ricotta filling evenly into the pie crusts. Top each pie with 8 narrow strips of dough or cookie cut-outs. Brush top of pie with milk for shine, if desired. Place foil on the edge of crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.

RICOTTA TART: TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the pasta frolla: Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour but do not over mix; make sure that the mixture remains cool and does not become pasty. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm.
• For the Ricotta Filling: Place the ricotta in a large bowl stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla being careful not to over mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut off 1/2 of the pasta frolla and reserve. Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 14-inch disc and line a 9-inch cake pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Roll out the reserved dough into a 10-inch circle. Reserve. Pour the ricotta filling into the crust base. Lay the reserved 10-inch circle of dough on the top of the filling. Trim the excess so there is a 1/2 to 3/4-inch overhang. Take the flap of dough left on the edge of the ring and roll it on itself so that it rests completely within the pan.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg with a pinch of salt and a few drops of water to make an egg wash. Brush the surface of the torta with the beaten egg mixture. Place the torta in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Blen flour, cornmeal 3/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse, just until the dough forms. Press dough over the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 11-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lien the tart with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, a bout 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake shell until golden, about 10 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• Combine the remianing 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool the sugar syrup slightly.
• In a double broiler, melt the chocolate over very softly simmering water.
• Pulse the Ricotta cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until combined. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 30 minutes, or until it has set. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts on top of the filling. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY MOUSSE PIE

Steps:

• Place graham crackers in a food processor; cover and process until fine crumbs form. Add egg white and butter; cover and process until blended. Pat onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray., Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand for 1-2 minutes. Spread melted chips over crust. Cool on a wire rack., In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat; set aside., Puree raspberries in a food processor; strain, discarding seeds. Return puree to food processor. Add cream cheese and sugar; cover and process until smooth. Add gelatin mixture; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a large bowl; cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes or until partially set. , In a small bowl, beat milk powder and ice-cold water on high speed until soft peaks form, about 7 minutes. Beat in lemon juice. Stir a third of the mixture into the raspberry mixture; fold in remaining milk mixture. Spread evenly into crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

PIZZA DOLCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Spray bottom of 9" X 13" glass dish with cooking spray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set and golden brown. Chill for 8 hours. Cut into 2" X 2" pieces. Makes about 24.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED RASPBERRY ECLAIRS

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl; stir in butter. Press plastic wrap onto surface of filling; refrigerate until cold., Preheat oven to 425°. For pastry, in a large saucepan, bring water, butter, milk, sugar and salt to a rolling boil. Add flour all at once and beat until blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring vigorously until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes., Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe twelve 4-1/2-in. strips about 3 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°; bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes longer. Pierce side of each eclair with tip of knife. Cool on wire racks. Split eclairs open. Pull out and discard soft dough from inside tops and bottoms., For the glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips, cream and corn syrup; stir until smooth. Stir raspberries into chilled pastry filling, mashing berries lightly. Fill eclairs just before serving. Dip tops in chocolate glaze; replace tops. Top with additional fresh raspberries. Let stand until set. Refrigerate leftovers.